Axially tightening band clamp



Patented June 1i, 149544 limlrso STATES ement orFIfcE clarence E. christophers signo'r to' Marmari Products Goiznpany;r Inc., Inglewood, Calif.,A a corporation of California 11 Claims. 'It

This invention relates to band clamps. The general object of the invention is to providev a band clamp having tightening means including a rotatable actuator elementl disposed parallel to the axis of the clamp. A further object is to provide a band clamp which isV suitable for mounting a round member (such as a measuring or indicating instrument) toa panel (e. g. anvinstrument panel) or Which may be utilized in mounting any type' ofl round or tubular member upon a panel or partition through which the tubular member extends on an'axisat right langles to the plane of such panel o'r partition.

A further object is to`V provide such` a band clamp, adapted to be attached to the rear side of an instrument panel and having an actuator which is accessible from the iront side of the panel.

A further object is to provide such a band clamp which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction. ln particularfthe invention contem= plates a clamp which may be constructed in one piece as a sheet metal'stamping, with the exception of an actuator screw and nut which are constructed as separate'parts.

Other objects Willbecome apparentr in the ensuing specincation and appended drawings in Which:

Fig; 1 is airon'tview of a-band clamp embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional-view thereof; installed upon a tubular member Whichis likewise shown partially in axial section; taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear view` of a modified form thereof, shown partially in cross-section, as indicatedby the line 3 3 of Fig. ll; l

Fig. 4 is a side View partially in'axial'section, taken as indicated by the line ll-ll of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an axial sectional view takenA on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

As an example otoneform nvvhich the invention may be embodied, I have shown' in Figs.` l and 2 my improved axially tightening clamp comprising generallyv a band' including'- ai semi-v cylindricalloop'portion 5 and' a saddle portionl "l projecting radially outwardly' from theextended circumference of loop portion Gij-teem'-y brace the actuator'V mechanism" Which will Vbedearms il Whichl join the respectivesides#of" bridge member 8to loop portion `l; si'dearins'dbeing tangent to loop portionG.`

The"actuator'mechanism comprises' an expandable yolfzeY Ill', formedV integrally of sheet metal and including' spaced, diverging Wedging arms I I and I2 joined bya Webrnember I3. Arm II is joined to the inner' face of bridge" member 8 by any suitable means, as by `spot Welds Id. Web member I3' constitutes a tab extending from the forward side of' bridge' member 8 radially inwardly towardV the` axis of loop portion 6, in a plane which is" substantially coincident With the plane of the forward side of the band. Arm I2 constitutes ai ramp which' extends fromthe inner end of tab I3' diagonally toward the' axis of the band and subt'ends relative to bridge element 8 (and the axis of the band) a dihedral angle less than 45. The normal anglelbetween arm I2 and bridge element 8, in the'partcular embodiment shown in the'drawing, may be inthe neighborhood of 30. Ramp'lz presents an inclined plane, opposed to the inner surface of bridge member 8, all cross-sectionsV of which are parallel to the bridge member S, Accordingly, the opposed inner faces of arm I2'v and bridge member 8 may be engaged by the parallel opposite sides: of a rectangular nut I5 which, under the pullof an actuator screw I6; operates as a wedge for spreading the arm I2" avvayfrom the bridge element 8, the opposite sides of the'nut I5 maintaining full straight line contact with each of the arms II TabA I3 isprovidedwith an opening I'l through which actuator screw I2 loosely extends. Screw l'ohas a head I8 to'take the end load set up in the screvv'by the resistance of arm l2 to the'advaneing movement of nut I5 as the clamp is being tightened.

A' pair of jaws I9, integrally formed on the respective sides of arm i12' and bentv towards the axis of the'band, in-substantially parallel, spaced relation to-each other, have parallel inner edges Z'adapted to'engage the* object ZI-Which is to be clamped.- While theobject 2|, as disclosed'in the drawing, is a portion of a tube, it will be understc'od that any roundobject', such as an instrument (2l a in Fig. 4) l ma'ybe vclamped'bythe device.

Projecting radially from one Vside (e. vg5; the-rear side) of the'band yis Ia vbracket ear 22 having an aperture The bracket vear 22'v is Adisposed so that it'may bear atly against a partitionlmember or 'panel'such as the 'panel ZLlshovvn in Fig. 2', and

be secured theretoA by a securing element: suchv as the bolt-252 extendedjthrough an aperturein the panel-andithrough-thef aperture 23;' Bracket 'ear 22 is preferably positioned diainetrically opposite the tab I3, and the two are disposed in a common plane which preferably is substantially the plane of the front edge of the band. Thus the ear 22 and tab I3 may conjointly bear against the rear face of panel 24, with actuator screw i6 extending through an opening 26 in the panel and establishing end bearing engagement with the iront side of the panel, through a washer 2l. The screw i t therefore has the secondary function of cooperating with bolt 25 in mounting the band on the panel 2i. The end bearing engagement of head I8 through washer 2'! functions both to draw tab I3 against the panel 2t and to take the reactive axial load developed in screw IS by the wedging engagement of nut i against arm I2.

1t will now be apparent that, with ear 22 and head i8 both located on the forward side of the band, the band may be installed with its forward edge in contact with the rear face of panel 24, drawn tightly thereagainst by bolt and ear 22 with object 2i extending through a circular opening 3| in the panel 24, and with the head I8 of screw it disposed forwardly of panel 24 so that it may be accessible for actuation by a screw-driver or the like.

In the preferred form of the invention, ear 22 is formed as a part of an II -shaped bracket having a tab 28 secured, as by spot welding 2s, to the outer wall of loop member' ii. At this point, it may be noted that by forming the bracket 22, 23 and the expandable member il, i2, i3 as separate parts which are spot welded or otherwise secured to the band 6, it becomes possible to utilize simply a strip of ribbon metal, cut to a predetermined length, for constructing the band E, l. The ends of said strip may if desired be butt-welded together' as indicated at Sii in Fig. l, or may be secured together through the medium of the arm il, spot welded to both end portions of the band, with said end portions meeting at the center of bridge member 3.

Jaws i9 are so shaped as to provide for a flexible portion of arm i2, extending, as indicated at 32, between the inner extremity of tab i3 and the adjacent extremities of jaws l, which flexible portion 32 is adapted to be iiexed or bowed toward the object ZI as nut i5 is drawn toward panel 2li. Thus the straight inner edges 2E) of jaws l!) may maintain full contact with article 2l at all times. The invention also contemplates constructing the arm i2 of a material having some elasticity (e. g. a mild spring steel) so that when the flexible portion 32 of the arm is bowed as above stated, it will be placed under spring tension which will constantly maintain a yielding spring loading of jaws l5. A component of this spring load will be applied axially against nut i5, to maintain a yielding axial load on nut i5 and actuator screw it resisting any tendency of the screw it to rotate under the effect of vibration. With the nut, actuator screw and jaws i thus spring loaded, the likelihood of the clamping mechanism coming loose over a period of time, is reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, where spring material is used, the arm l2 will spring back toward its original position when the nut l5 is relaxed, thus automatically releasing the article 2i from its clamping engagement.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate how any one or more of various features of the clamp may be modified. The Various possible modications shown in these figures, each indicated by a reference numeral corresponding to the reference numeral of the corresponding part or feature in Figs. l and 2,

but with the exponent o added, are as follows: Tab I3a, is integral with loop member 6a. The ends of the band la are butt-welded together at the center of loop 6, as indicated at Sila. Thus the band, the bracket ears 22a and the tab 13a and ramp 12a may be integrally formed as a single sheet metal stamping. The ramp 12a, instead of being straight and flat, is arched from end to end thereof as indicated in Fig. 4, the curvature being such that the angle of inclination ci the inclined surface of ramp 12o at its line of contact with nut 15a (which angle is indicated at a in Fig 4) remains substantially constant for all positions of the nut and ramp. Nut 50, has a bevelled side face 33, subtending the angle a with the axis of screw i6, for bearing against the ramp |2a, The engaging edges 2cd of jaws Illa are of rocker shape, as shown, so as to remain tangent to the surface of instrument 2id at the points of contact therewith. Bolts 25a have their heads permanently secured, as by welding, to ears 22a, so as to constitute fixed, threaded studs.

Nut ld need not necessarily bear against the under side of bridge member 8a. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it clears the bridge member 8a and bears only against the arm 12a. Reactive radial loads on the nut iba, developed by the wedging engagement of the nut against arm 520 are transmitted through the respective ends of screw Elia to tab i3 and to a tab 3d which is parallel to tab i3d and extends radially inwardly from bridge member 8a on the opposite side of the band from tab i3. Tab 36 has an opening 3Q' in which is journalled a collar portion 3S of a nut 3'? which is secured on the end of screw 53a. Nut 3'? may be secured by staking or swaging the end of screw iEa into locking engagement with the nut. Thus the nut 3l constitutes a second head which provides end bearing engagement with tab 3f: to give a back-od function, i. e., to cause the screw to forcibly move nut 15d away from engagement with arm izo, when rotated in reverse. Head it of the screw may, in this arrangement, be received in an opening 35 in panel Ma, or be aligned with such opening 35 so that a screw driver may be inserted therethrough to operate the actuator screw,

It will be understood that any or all of the modied features shown in Figs. 3 and e may be embodied in the clamp shown in Figs. l and. 2, in modification thereof, without departing from the invention, or, conversely, the clamp shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be modified by substituting for one or more features thereof, equivaient features in Fig. l, such as, for example, having the bracket ears 22a, and tab 13o: formed separately and welded to the band.

I claim:

l. In an axially tightening band clamp, a closed band including a loop portion and arch shaped saddle portion projecting radially outwardly from said loop portion, a tab projecting radially inwardly from the outer extremity of said saddle portion at one axial extremity of the band in a plane at right angles to the axis of said loop portion, a ramp constituting an integral continuation of and extending from the inner extremity of said tab diagonally inwardly within the space embraced by said saddle portion, for clamping engagement with an object disposed within said band, said tab having an aperture, an actuator screw extending through said aperture the longitudinal axis of said screw being disposed in a plane of said loop portion axis and having end bearing means for receiving axial loads from said band, and a nut threaded on said screw between said arm and said outer extremity of the saddle portion of said band, said nut having bearing engagement against the outer side of said ramp and operative when drawn toward said tab by said screw to exert a wedging action against said ramp to flex said ramp inwardly into clamping engagement with said object.

2. A clamp as defined in claim 1, including jaws extending toward the axis of the loop from the sides of said ramp, for establishing said clamping engagement with said article.

8. A clamp as defined in claim 2, wherein said jaws have straight inner edges for engagement with said article and wherein said ramp includes a iexible portion extending between said tab and the adjacent extremities of said jaws, Which flexible portion is adapted to bow inwardly to accommodate inward movement of said jaws without requiring tilting movement of said straight edges, whereby the latter may maintain full engagement with said article in various positions of inward projection of said jaws.

4. A clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein said ramp is provided with a jaw projecting toward the of said loop portion from each side ol said ramp, said jaws having rocker shaped inner edges for engagement with said article.

5. A clamp as dened in claim i, wherein said ramp presents an inclined wedging face of convexly arched contour from end to end thereof, for bearing engagement with said nut, whereby the angle of inclination of said bearing surface at the area of contact with said nut may remain substantially unchanged while said ramp iiexes to varying angles of inclination relative to the axis of the clamp.

6. A clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein said ramp is of channel section, including a web portion presenting an inclined bearing face for engagement by said nut and a jaw portion projecting toward the axis of the clamp from each side of said web portion said jaws having inner extremities for clamping engagement with said article.

7. A clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein said nut has bearing engagement with the inner face of the outer extremity of said saddle portion of the band, for taking the reactive radial load against said nut developed in its wedging engage-k ment with said ramp.

8. A clamp as dened in claim 1, including a second tab projecting inwardly from said outer extremity of the saddle portion of the band, said d actuator screw having an end portion journalled in each of the tab members for taking the reactive load against said nut developed by its wedging engagement with said ramp.

9. A clamp as defined in claim 1, wherein said ramp and tab are formed as a separate part including, in addition to said ramp and tab, an arm extnding substantilly at right angles te said tab from the outer end thereof and permanently secured to the inner side of said outer extremity of the saddle portion of the band, said nut having bearing engagement Awith the inner faces of said arm and ramp in order to distribute between them loads developed in said nut as the result of its wedging engagement with said inclined ramp.

10. A band clamp/as dened in claim l, including a bracket ear extending radially outwardly from said band, said bracket ear and tab lying in substantially the plane of one axial extremity of the band, whereby said band may be mounted upon a panel member with said one axial extremity substantially abutting one side of the panel.

11. A band clamp as defined in claim 1, including a bracket ear extending radially outwardly from said loop portion of the band at a point diametrically opposite said tab, for attachment of the band to a supporting panel, said bracket ear and tab being disposed in a common plane adjacent one axial extremity of the band, said actuator screw adapted to extend through the panel, said screw having a head adapted to establish end bearing engagement with the front side of the panel for drawing said tab against the rear side of the panel for securing the band to the panel, and for taking the reactive load developed in said screw by the wedging engagement of said nut against said ramp.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 470,344 Baldwin Mar. 8, 1892 916,932 McMurtrie Mar. 30, 1909 941,906 Beardsley Nov. 30, 1909 1,270,927 Clancy July 2, 1918 1,497,549 Conradi June 10, 1924 1,561,432 Hitchcock Nov. 10, 1925 2,529,173 Moyer Nov. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 291,734 Germany May 5, 1916 465,851 Germany Sept. 27, 1928 754,564 France Nov. 9, 1933 

